Wheel alignment gauge



April 11, 195o 2,503,580

J. G. FONTAINE WHEEL ALIGNMENT GAUGE Filed May 1o, 1948 IN VENTOR JOHN GARFIELD FONTAINE ATTORNE Y Patented Apr. ll, 1950 WHEEL ALIGNMENT GAUGE John Gariield Fontaine, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Application May 10, 1948, Serial No. 26,230

2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in wheel alignment gauges for cars and trucks.

The objects of the invention are to provide a gauge of simple construction which can be conveniently handled in adjusting for position under `a Wheel, and also to provide a gauge wherein the scale reading is not affected by any transverse movement of the wheel receiving plate, so that the extent of disalignment of a Whe'el can be determined with extreme accuracy.

Referring to the drawings- Figure 1 is a plan view of the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the underside of the invention.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each gure.

The numeral I indicates generally a rectangular base plate having side edges 2 and inclined ramps 3. The base plate I is provided with a central opening 4 and depending ribs 5 and 6, the underside of which lie in the same plane as the lower edges of the ramps 3. A handle 8 is tted to one of the side edges 2 for convenience in adjusting the position of the device under a wheel.

Spaced above the base plate I is a ball retainer IU provided with rows of apertures II in which a plurality of ball bearings I2 are freely rotatable. Rotatably supported upon the bearings I2 is a circular wheel receiving plate I4 having a graduated scale I5 adjustably held upon its rim by screws I6 which extend through arcuate slots I'I formed at the extremities of said scale. The plate I4 is provided with a centrally disposed bolt which extends downwardly through the disc I0 and the opening 4 of the base plate I and is fitted with a disc 22 of substantially greater diameter than the base opening 4 to permit the plate I4 to move laterally in any direction about the base plate I. The bolt 20 is freely rotatable within the disc 22 so that the wheel receiving plate I4 and the ball retainer I0 may rotate freely above the base plate I.

A transverse arm 23 is secured to the underside oi the disc Io extending through a gap 24 dened between the inner ends of one of the side border ribs 5. This arm is upwardly and inwardly bent to fold over an edge of the base plate I and the edge of the wheel receiving plate I4, as at 25, and is pointed at its free end to form an index 21 by which to read the graduations on the scale I5.

The ribs 6 are equidistantly spaced from the 55 centre of the opening 4 and are parallel to each other, and from each of said ribs and widely spaced apart are four longitudinally disposed coil springs 29, each having the same tension, two of these springs are secured near one end of the arm 23 and two are secured near the opposite end of said arm and all are anchored at their outer ends to the ribs 6, so as to normally hold the bolt 20 and the Wheel receiving plate I 4 centred with respect to the base plate I.

In use, the device is approximately centred under a jacked up wheel which is to be aligned, the wheel is lowered onto the wheel receiving plate I4 and if the zero mark X on the scale I5 is not in register with the overhanging index 21, said scale is moved circumferentially of the receiving plate to correct the said register. The wheel is then swung to a position parallel to the longitudinal axis of the chassis, which causes the receiving plate I4 to turn an equal distance and carry the scale I5 relative to the index 2T, so that the extent of disalignment of the wheel `from said chassis axis may be accurately read.

If the wheel being gauged is out of proper camber, it will cause the receiving plate I4 to move laterally relative to the base plate I, when said wheel is swung from the steering column, but since the index 21 moves coincidentally with any lateral movement of the said wheel receiving plate, very little or no error will occur in the registration between the scale I5 and the index 21.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A wheel alignment gauge comprising a base plate having a central opening, a vertical bolt mounted' for lateral movement within said opening, a wheel receiving plate rotatable with the bolt, a transverse arm mounted upon the lower end of the bolt to move laterally in any direction therewith, said wheel receiving plate having a graduated scale and said arm having an index registering with said scale, a pair of normally aligned springs secured adjacent each end of the arm equidistantly from the bolt and anchored below the base plate, all of said springsv being of equal tensional value, and being normally disposed parallel to each other.

2. A wheel alignment gauge comprising a base plate having a central opening and an inclined ramp at each end, a pair of parallel base plate supporting ribs extending across the underside of the plate parallel to the ramps and adjacent the opening, a vertical bolt mounted for lateral movement in any direction within the opening, a ball retainer upon the base plate, a wheel receiving plate secured to the plate having rotational move nient upn the ball retainer, a transverse bar disposed between the ribs and in which the bolt is journalled, a pair of tension springs connected adjacent each `end of the bar and spaced from the bolt, said springs being of equal tensional 5 value and being anchored to the ribs of the base plate, said wheel receiving plate having a graduated scale and said arm having an index pointing to said scale.

. JOHN GARFIELD FONTAINE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the "-le of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Fracker Aug. 30, 1932 Bennett Sept. 20, 1932 Wochner Aug. 2, 1938 Bennett July 29, 1941 

